Mercer Genesis Cutlery - Buy these knives!

I don't often deviate from the world of beer and restaurant reviews here but sometimes a product is so good that I just have to share.  A few years back I was looking for some new knives to use in my kitchen.  Sure I had a few Wusthof knives, some Sabatier carbon steel knives and a Henckels or two but it was time for something new.  What I really wanted was quality without the ridiculous price tag associated with it.  During my research I came across Mercer Genesis.  Mercer claimed that their knives were the exact same steel as the Wusthofs and with a little more checking I confirmed that.  I just couldn't get past the price of only a little over $100.00 for a five piece set with a glass block.  After much hemming and hawing I decided to give them a shot.  Damn was I surprised!  Not only did these knives perform as well as the Wusthofs and Sabatiers, they were better!  The Santoprene soft texture handle was and still is the most comfortable that I have ever used.  A few years later I still reach for my Mercer Genesis more than any other knife.  I have since completed my collection piece by reasonably priced piece and even gotten a Mercer Renaissance knife that I also love.  Anyone out there who is looking for an exceptional set of knives without a high price tag should not hesitate to try out Mercer Genesis.

Where the hell have we been?

Has the brew tour gone away?  Did we drink ourselves to death?  Have we admitted that we have a problem and checked ourselves into an appropriate facility?  The answer to all of the above questions is a resounding NO!  In fact the Asgard Brew Tour is stronger than ever.  We have taken a hiatus from the reviews because of the success of the Brew Tour!  During our journey we have met many micro-brewery owners and bar owners alike.  We figured that if we could put these two together we could make some beer money!  We have started helping bars with mediocre beer lists get better.  We have also started helping bars that are just not doing well get better.  If there is one thing that we know is what makes a good bar good!  So far the process has went like this... We arrive and mock the beer selection... We try the food and realize that it is crap... We laugh hysterically at the decor and then we just yell at the owner and call him a moron!  It is kind of like Hell's Kitchen but with three drunk guys without British accents.  So far this has been somewhat successful and our insights have been appreciated.  During this process we have had to figure out how the hell we are going to keep all of this going.  The site that you are currently on will continue as it has with reviews and more.  We will at some point have a business site for our consulting service but if you need our help just drop us an email.  The Brew Tour will be back on the road soon!

Tun Tavern - ODIN

 Tun Tavern - Atlantic City  

It has been a long time since the Brew Tour made a legitimate visit to a brew pub.  Fact is, we really can't stand being around each other all that often and we really don't care if we keep you waiting!  The Tun Tavern is a really nice place, I really wanted to get lunch but Loki was whining about the twenty five minute wait!  On to the beer:

Tun Light - Pretty forgettable and crappy.  If they put this in Coors light bottles tomorrow I would praise it but for a craft brew... it sucks!  D

IRISH RED - It almost seems like this place shared recipes with Harvest Moon.  This is pretty much identical to their Irish Red.  I have no idea what I said about that one but today I am not feeling very generous!  C

DEVIL DOG PALE - I really thought that this one would have some balls to it!  It was a pretty mild pale ale that really didn't have a lot of character.  Not bad but somewhat of a letdown.  C+

LEATHER NECK STOUT - Loki liked this better than I did, but unfortunately he has no taste!  This was crap regardless of what he posts about it.  D

ALL AMERICAN IPA - Best of the bunch.  Very hop forward with some citrus flavors cowering in fear behind them.  Very clean drinking, not bad at all.  B

Korpiklaani - Beer Beer

KORPIKLAANI - BEER BEER

I figured since there hasn't been much Brew Tour activity lately I would post another quality song.  

Shiner Family Reunion - ODIN

As most of you already know from previous reviews... I like Shiner Bock!  No it's not all crafty and interesting but it tastes damn good!  It's like a drinkable Budweiser!  Finally, after the support garnered by the ASGARD Brew Tour Shiner has begun distribution in New Jersey and will keep rolling out new beers for us to try.  Right now I would urge all of you to run out and buy the Family Reunion 6 packs... not from Wine Depot in Union though... those are MINE!  Here's my brilliant review of the 6 beers that will await you if you take my advice... in you don't you can go fuck your self in the ass with rusty re-bar and die of infection!

OLD TIME ALT - This is the craft beer of the bunch only available or a limited time.  What a load of horse shit!  I should be able to buy this by the case... it is amazing!  Drink this and savor every last wonderful drop!  Very light hops but awesome malt flavor.  Easy drinking.  A+

BLONDE - For a while I had a thing against blondes... not the kind with two legs and built for fun... i mean beer!  First, I gave Ramstein a fair try and started coming around and then this one helped to win me over.  It's really nothing special I guess but it tastes damn good and makes you wish you could sit down and finish off a six or two.  A

HEFEWEIZEN -  This was my least favorite of the batch which is saying something because it is still damn good.  This is a very citrusy beer that would probably be refreshing on a hot day.  Unfortunately, it has instructions on how to drink it on the bottle which are hard to read.  You have to drink half then flip it over your shoulder and tap dance or some shit... If you drink it straight from the bottle swirl it around a bit to avoid a mouthful of yeast at the bottom!  B+

KOSMOS RESERVE - If you like hops this is the Shiner for you.  I'm not talking about knock you on your ass hops but a nice mild bitter hop.  Very good beer with quite a bit of character.  A

BOHEMIAN BLACK LAGER - Generally it's Loki who likes his bitches dark... ummm, I mean beers... but this is one bitch I would drink over and over and over!  Nice, full flavored dark Lager that goes down smoother than one of Sergio's hookers!  This is another one that needs to be sold by the case!  I think the guys over at beer advocate even like this one and they generally frown on Shiner beers!  Hopefully you take my advice because I may have brought Shiner to Jersey but they need to sell it in order for me to keep it here!  BUY IT NOW!!!  A+

Gaslight - ODIN

It's been a while but finally Loki and myself were able to check out a new brew tour spot.  Aurvandil on the other hand had to paint his toenails or something and couldn't attend!  The Gaslight Brewery located at 15 South Orange Avenue in South Orange, New Jersey is a pretty awesome place.  The atmosphere is exactly what a brew pub should be... as for the beer... we your dedicated reviewers tasted all 8 of the in-house brews!

Bulldog Blonde - A light golden beer typical of most blondes.  This one isn't going to make you jump up and down but it's highly drinkable.  B

Bison Brown -  This dark caramel beer is like a not as disgusting as most Nut Brown!  It still blows.  D

Perfect Stout -  Actually it's far from perfect!  More like mediocre stout!  Not a bad dark beer but has no perceptible character to it!  B

Flemish Bruin - I have no idea what Flemish Bruin is but it is forgettable.  Another slightly below average dark beer.  C

Pinhead Pilsner -  A golden Pilsner that's pretty good.  This is a great beer to drink on the beach or whenever you plan on pounding down a growler.  B

Big Dog Porter - The best of the dark beers but takes a few gulps to really get flavor from it.  Pretty mild and forgettable.  B-
 
The Eliminator - Eliminate what??? I was expecting some hops here... fairly mild.  It tastes like it has a good amount of alcohol but it still manages to be mild mannered and fairly dull.  Drinkable though.  B
 
Zum Altdorf -  This one has a nice amber color to it but still comes off fairly mild.  Probably my favorite of the 8 but not a standout.  B

Overall the beers are fairly mediocre.  Very drinkable but not special.  What truly made this a great trip was that in addition to a good selection of beers, they had Ramstein Winter on tap.  You can check out a previous review to find out that this is the top Asgard dark beer!  Hyper fueled with alcohol no sacrifice is made in regards to flavor.  Goes down silky smooth and hits you in the gut with alcohol kick!

The Food - We had the Jambalaya and the Pulled Pork Sandwich.  The Jambalaya was excellent and the pork was very good!  This place has an awesome menu filled with quality items.  Will definitely eat here again! A  

ODIN CONQUERS VEGAS!!!

After a repeated viewing of the move The Hangover I decided to take a trip to Vegas.  Of course once here I had to try and remember enough of the trip to give you Odin's take on the beer and food scene.  Actually as far as the beer... it's damn fucking expensive and not that exciting.  I found a few good ones but overall it's mass market commercial bullshit! Food on the other hand was fucking everywhere.  If your willing to shell out about $100 per person per night you can try just about every celebrity chefs food that you want.  Entertainment is also fucking expensive but everywhere... this is fucking Vegas!  Enough bullshit let's get into some reviews:

THE BEER:


Blues Brew -  Really fucking good.  Same nice dark amber color as Newcastle but it actually tastes good.  Not a heavy beer but good solid flavor, has hints of Nut Brown Ale without making you want to puke.  Highly recommended.  A

Fat Tire Amber - A nice smooth dark amber beer.  No bitterness just a nice caramel flavor that goes down easy.  Another good one.  B

Shiner Bock - This is a beer that I found while staying in Texas.  It is fucking awesome.  Just a nice solid beer, nothing fancy.  Don;t know if it's really a true bock but I can tell you that this is one of my favorites.  They need to dump cases of this in New Jersey now.  A+

Lone Palm Ale - Drank a hole shitload of this beer at Margaritaville.  I would compare this to a slightly darker Corona or a Dos Equis Amber.  Easy drinking and very smooth.  Not really for the craft beer only crowd but fine for most.  The perfect beer in between margaritas!  B+

THE FOOD:


In N Out Burger - For years it seems that I have been hearing from those on the west coast how we east coasters are deprived of the best fast food hamburger out there.  After this visit I say bullshit!  The burger is a fried almost non existent patty.  Nothing special at all! The fresh cut fries are very good though.  Five Guys and Johnny Rockets blows this crap out of the water!  C-

B.B. Kings Blues Club - B.B. Kings is a nice casual place with a good vibe to it.  I ordered the ribs and thought that they tasted great and were fall apart tender... if only they were fucking hot!  One end of the rack was lukewarm and the other was downright cool!  Another person in my dinner party had the fried chicken which also had good flavor... but the gravy was cold and the pasta side dish was raw and cold!  The chicken and ribs combo on the other hand was served hot and tasted great.  We also had the pleasure of a live blues band that was pretty good.  What really made them interesting for me is that I couldn't understand a damn word that the singer was singing... bad sound... jive singing... not sure but I liked it!

The Food - C+
Entertainment - B

Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich's Carnevino - I had high hopes for this top tier Italian steakhouse.  Instead I left feeling as though I had been ass raped!  The steaks were top quality beef but fairly small for $70.  I had the spaghetti frutti di mar which was somewhat bland and featured large but mushy shrimp.  In my party someone ordered the $20 raviolo and got that... 1 $20 raviolo!  Give me a break!  I will say that the $9 side of potatoes dusted with parmesan cheese were pretty good.

Carnevino - C

Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill - Mesa grill was one of the highlights of my trip.  My smoked shrimp tacos were flavorful and featured 3 awesome sauces.  Everyone in my party loved Mesa!  The quesadillas were the best they had ever tasted and the swordfish sandwich was unique and awesome.

Mesa Grill - A+

 Rao's -  I had always wondered if the famous Rao's that has a year wait for a reservation is all hype.  I had the veal parm which was one of the greatest things I have ever eaten!  The penne vodka was by far the best that I have ever had.  The spaghetti bolognese was not very good and featured awkward seasoning.  This was a great dinner!

Rao's - A+

Emeril Lagasse's Table 10 - This is a complicated review.  The Wagu steak sandwich was top notch.  The gumbo was fucking phenomenal!  The burger on the other hand tasted like a flavorless ball of ground beef.  My fettucini with shellfish and piri piri sauce was very boring.  There was no heat and very little seasoning.  It was bland seafood with fettucini in a pool of flavorless oil!  I have made this dish before with much better results.

Table 10 - B-

Jimmy Buffets Margaritaville - Had a few appetizers here.  The Jamaican wings were tasty but had no heat.  The volcano nachos were amazing and huge.  A mediocre quesadilla may have been marred by the quality of the one at Mesa the day before.  This is a great place to hang out and drink.

Margaritaville - B

Wolfgang Puck's Postrio - I had a somewhat boring wood fired pizza but the burgers were awesome as well as whatever the hell else we got.

Postrio - B

TANKARD - Stay Thirsty (2008)

I'm not sure exactly what a shirtless guy with a beer gut has to do with the Brew Tour but I can definitely say that this is a good example of our target audience.  Being that reviews have been slow lately I figured I would share a song by fellow beer lovers!  Enjoy...

Cricket Hill East Coast Lager - ODIN

I recently went to the Stress Factory comedy club in New Brunswick.  On the menu I was surprised to find Cricket Hill East Coast Lager amidst the Coors, Bud and Miller products.  It's not the best beer I have ever had but it is pretty damn good.  It is a medium bodied beer that has a nice hop finish... not bitter at all!  It's more of a flowery flavor.  This would never become my beer of choice but on a menu of crap it definitely stands out!  Try it!

ODIN'S RATING:  B

ASGARD upcoming appearance!

As you read this blog you will see that I rarely announce where we will be.  The fact is that we really hate human beings and look down upon most of you.  We enjoy your support but really have no use for meeting people!  I feel however that it is important to announce that we will be at the Chiller Theatre Expo in New Jersey on April 30th.  In addition to myself, Loki and Aurvandil, Thor and Tyr may attend also.  This really has nothing to do with beer but I demand that you all attend!  The cast of The Human Centipede will be there and are some of the most interesting entertainers that we have ever met.  If you go tell them that Asgard sent you!  If you are lucky enough to see us there feel free to stop us and discuss some beer.  Don't expect a warm reception though as we are Gods and you are our subjects!